WORKFORCE TRAINING

Oktibbeha County has an available work force that is highly adaptable as well as trainable. According to local plant managers, the work force has a low to moderate turnover rate and generally has ranked above average in productivity. During your company's evaluation process, meetings can be arranged with local plant managers to discuss the labor force in a one-on-one private session. Number of unemployed workers 1,550 Rate of unemployment 7.7% Number of employed workers 20,030 Total Number of Workers Available for Employers 18,480 * Source: MS Department of Employment Services Data Maps, June 2007. Mississippi is a "Right to Work" state, as mandated by the State's constitution.

A January 2001 independent study of the Oktibbeha County workforce showed the following:

• In addition to the unemployed in the Oktibbeha County region, a new employer will be able to attract employees from an additional pool of about 13,000 underemployed workers (individuals who are now working but desire a better job and who possess the skills, education, and experience to qualify them for better jobs);
  
  
• those workers possess the skills, experience, and education to qualify them for the pay rates at which they would take a new job, ranging from less than $7.00 to over $25.00 per hour;
  
  
• about 10% of the underemployed would change jobs for under $7.23 per hour; one-third would change jobs for less than $9.26 per hour, and 50% would change for $11.00 or less;
  
  
• almost 35% of the 13,000 underemployed individuals have some college experience and another 16% have college degrees;
  
  
• 1,800 people, neither employed nor seeking work, might re-enter the workforce for the proper job;
  
  
• the "labor shed" area (Choctaw, Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Webster and Winston Counties) has an estimated total civilian labor force of 77,300 people.